Why You Should Not Let Your Child Take the Common Core SBAC Test

Yes, you can opt out of having your child take the SBAC test in Nevada. No, it will not affect their grade.

Nevada schools are gearing up to administer federal mandated new SBAC testing which is aligned with Common Core. Fortunately, technical glitches in the system have opened the window of time for uninformed parents to still opt their child out of this test. Why would a parent want to opt their child out? The reasons are many. My personal reason for opting my children out of the new Common Core testing through Clark County School District is because first, the test is not an accurate measurement of the student’s academic ability or education. There are many more reasons as outlined by Nevadans Against Common Core:

Why You Should Not Let Your Child (grades 3-8) Take The SBAC Test:

SBAC is designed for your child to fail (only 30% of test takers pass). This failure will be part of your child’s permanent record. During the testing window SBAC will be spying on student social media accounts 24/7.

SBAC automatically collects data on your child and then makes this data available to numerous third parties (some of which may be out of state). Federal law (FERPA) no longer protects student privacy.

SBAC is a 10-hour, secret, computer adaptive test. Neither you nor the school administering the test can know with any certainty what your child is asked to test questions or what info your child is asked to provide.

SBAC results will not be used to improve your child’s (or any child’s) individual learning experience.

SBAC results will be used unfairly to evaluate our child’s teachers. This kind of “high-stakes” testing has been discredited, yet the Nevada Dept. of Ed supports it!

Most local educators won’t (can’t) speak up! The American Federation of Teachers (second largest teachers union in the country) supports parents opting out of SBAC.

Hear What Educators Ares Saying:

Nearly 200,000 students have been opted out of Common Core testing in New York. Hear what one fourth grade teacher, Jessica, said about the questions on the test according to the Washington Post:

“Jessica described the test as having readability levels far beyond what is appropriate, with questions that were “vague, wordy, designed for trickery–not accurately measuring if children understand the texts they are reading.” She described the tests as far too long for her students to complete. She concluded by writing:

I got into teaching because I adore children, I love changing their lives, creating beautiful people….I have been stripped of that. And I can’t imagine doing it, this way, another 20 years. It’s hard to rest my head on a pillow at night, and feel good about what we are doing to these kids.”

So, what is on the test?

Disgusted teachers and parents are defying the “gag order” and talking about the tests, anonymously, on blogs. The sixth-grade test has consistently come under fire, especially during Day 3 when an article entitled, “Nimbus Clouds: Mysterious, Ephemeral, and Now Indoors” from the Smithsonian Magazine appeared on one version of the test.

Here is a passage from the article:

As a result, the location of the cloud is an important aspect, as it is the setting for his creation and part of the artwork. In his favorite piece, Nimbus D’Aspremont, the architecture of the D’Aspremont-Lynden Castle in Rekem, Belgium, plays a significant role in the feel of the picture. “The contrast between the original castle and its former use as a military hospital and mental institution is still visible,” he writes. “You could say the spaces function as a plinth for the work.”

The genius at Pearson who put that article on the sixth-grade test should take his nimbi and his plinth and go contemplate his belly button in whatever corner of that Belgian castle he chooses. The members of the State Education Department who approved the article’s inclusion should go with him.

How To Opt Out of SBAC Test in Nevada

To opt your child out of SBAC testing is simple. Each school has been given a letter from the district upon parent’s request to opt their child out. Simply ask for the letter, fill it out and sign it. The letter also states “I understand that my request may have negative consequences for my school.” for which I inserted “…is hogwash”. This is nothing more than a scare tactic as also reported by the Washington Post:

“What will happen to schools then? If the New York State Superintendents’ organization (NYSCOSS) is correct, not much. Despite the attempts of some districts to gin up fear by threatening vague and ominous sanctions, there is little that the state or the federal government can do. Districts will not lose funding unless it can be proven that they did not give the tests or willfully promoted opt out. The federal government is equally unlikely to withhold funds—there are no guidelines as to what penalties, if any, could be imposed. You can read the NYSCOSS summary of opt out implications here.”

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About The Author

Toni SpilsburyToni Spilsbury is a blogger, brand strategist and social media producer in addition to being a philanthropist and mother…. but not in that order. From busy corporate gal to even busier mom of four, one with special needs, Toni established an online connection with today’s on-the-go moms as someone who understands the unique demands of working moms. In 2005, Toni co-founded the Nevada Blind Children Foundation and began working to build the first school for the blind in Nevada. With a passion for cooking, creating her own recipes and a desire to merge her family life and career, Toni wrote a book The Organized Cook in 2009 before embarking on a journey through branding, blogging, social media and e-commerce that gained her an insight and passion for the unique niche of content-driven e-commerce. Toni’s second book, Because of Connor, is due out in late 2013 which gives readers an insight into the unique struggle of life’s ups and downs when set against the backdrop of caring for and coming to grips with a severely medically fragile son.